Quadrant Quadrifoglio

Brendon: That's a good point. Isn't there something about standards being so nice because there are so many to choose from? I did some research into how to control the size of jpg files created by PowerPoint and found this: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/827745/how-to-change-the-export-resolution-of-a-powerpoint-slide It requires editing the registry but it works. Then I compared a 178 KB 1280x720 jpg with a 1.41 MB 4000x2250 (both output by PowerPoint) by adding them to a production and watching them both in Videowave and then in a video created/output from Videowave and could see no difference. I compared them both using Photo Gallery and Photos and could see no difference in the quality (the dimensions of the smaller file were less than the larger one, but same quality).

Brendon: Thanks so much for your reply. I found a way to convert the jpg files for use in Videowave on this web page: http://smallbusiness.chron.com/import-multiple-photos-powerpoint-slides-39998.html Briefly, use PowerPoint to Insert a Photo Album. Select all the jpg files desired to include in the album. They will all go on different slides (that's a big deal since it is a 'batch' type operation rather than inserting individual slides). Then use Save As to save as jpg files and select to Export All Slides. They will be 'converted' and can then be added in Videowave. The file sizes are small, in the low KB range and in my case the pic size was reduced from 4032x2268 to 1280x720 so at least the aspect ratio was maintained.

A workaround using PowerPoint which will ‘convert’ the files for use in Videowave, for what it's worth: Create as many blank slides in PP as the number of jpg files you want to convert. Use Insert Picture to insert the jpg files. In the process, select all the jpg files and insert. They will all show up on the first slide stacked on top of one another. Then, Cut the top one and Paste it on the second slide. Cut the next one and paste on the third slide. Contiune. Next, Save As and choose JPEG file Interexchange Format (*.jpg) instead of saving as a pptx PowerPoint presentation. Click Save and PP will ask you what slides to save. Click All Slides. Then PP will very nicely name the jpg files Slide 1, Slide 2, etc. and create a folder with the name you put in the box which would ordinarily be the name of the presentation.

Well, I guess that's the answer. Thanks Brendon! And thanks to all the rest for taking the time to respond. Here is what I am doing, for what it's worth: A workaround using PowerPoint which will ‘convert’ the files for use in Videowave: Create as many blank slides in PP as the number of jpg files you want to convert. Use Insert Picture to insert the jpg files. In the process, select all the jpg files and insert. They will all show up on the first slide stacked on top of one another. Then, Cut the top one and Paste it on the second slide. Cut the next one and paste on the third slide. Contiune. Next, Save As and choose JPEG file Interexchange Format (*.jpg) instead of saving as a pptx PowerPoint presentation. Click Save and PP will ask you what slides to save. Click All Slides. Then PP will very nicely name the jpg files Slide 1, Slide 2, etc. and create a folder with the name you put in the box which would ordinarily be the name of the presentation. Best way I've figured out how batch 'convert' the jpg files. Question: Does the latest version of Roxio fix this problem?

I've done enough investigating now to be certain that the jpg files that won't work are from my Samsung Galaxy S8. I get this symbol when trying to add one of them. I tried jpg files from an identical Samsung S8 and the same thing happened. Enhance Multiple Photos didn't like them either and neither did Edit Photos. The files are not 'corrupt' because the proper thumbnails show up in File Explorer, they work in Paint, I can import them into PowerPoint, I can view them with multiple picture viewers and I can email them. In other words, they are 'good' everywhere except in Roxio. One work-around is to use Send To in File Explorer and send them to Mail which will then offer to resize them. Do that and then find the resized file in the Temp folder and copy that to my working folder and then THAT jpg can be added to the video production. But the size has been reduced from 2.6 MB to 128 KB and does not look really sharp when viewing it in Videowave. Is 128 KB an acceptable size? Apparently Roxio just has a problem with the pics from my Samsung. Any ideas about that? Also, any way to resize photos in batch mode? Yes, Redwagon, I do place everything related to the video in the same folder. Thanks!

When attempting to add a jpg file (a picture, not a video) to a video production in Videowave, I get the message: "One or more of the files you are trying to add cannot be edited, and have not been added." These are .jpg files. However, SOME .jpg files CAN be added. What's the problem and how do I fix it?

Actually, the thumbs remain the same size so you don't lose anything there. There's not much room for text so I just leave the numbers.

I capture the one hour DV tape into an avi file. I then add the avi file in MyDVD. Then I edit chapters to create a max of 15 chapters. Each chapter begins at some point where grandkid did something different or new or significant. At this point, I get 4 menus with 4, 4, 4 and 3 chapters on the 4 menus for a total of 15 chapters. Everything is just the way I want it except that I want all 15 chapters on just one menu. In the Project View area I drag chapters 5 - 15 up to the menu where 1 - 4 are. Then I have to move them into 3 rows of 5. I'm just wanting to see if I can get the 15 chapters all on one menu when the chapters are first created and menus updated. If not, I'll just have to stick with the way I'm doing it now.

I'm making 1-hour DVDs of the grandkid. He does something spectacular every five minutes. Really! Well, OK, not exactly. But I DO want up to 15 chapters, 15 being the limit you can get on one menu in 3 rows of 5. In a normal movie there is continuity throughout the movie and and you usually just watch it from beginning to end. But in my case, I might want to jump around since there are favorite things grandkid did that I want to watch again or skip to. Actually, since the 'takes' which I make into chapters were recorded a little at a time over a several month period, they are really each an individual little movie. Also, I like to be able to quickly jump to a chapter instead of fast forwarding and I like to be able to see the thumbnail so I know what the chapter is about. I just leave the numbers on the chapters. I tried giving the chapters names but that doesn't work out too well.

I am talking about 15 chapters within one movie. I add a video, a 1-hour avi file captured from my DV camcorder. I edit chapters and create 15 chapters. They appear 4 per menu in the lower left box. I click and drag chapters 5 - 15 one at a time up to the first chapter menu where the first 4 chapters are. This all involves a lot of re-positioning of the chapter thumbnails on the first chapter menu - a real pain.

Is there any way to get 15 chapters automatically put on one menu in 3 rows with 5 chapters in each row? MyDVD always wants to put 4 chapters on a menu and then I have to manually drag them to the first chapter menu if I want them all together. Any ideas?

OK. Here's the details. I'm using an HP Media Center PC purchased in 12/06. Processor: AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual-Core 5000+ Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce 6150 LE RAM: 2048 MB HD: 320 GB + second 500 GB HD for video media storage Since these AVI files are so big, I just added a WD 500 GB drive as a second SATA drive. I now have ample space on both C: and K: (the second 500 Gig HD). Why K:? Because I have a bunch of other dad-gummed drives in there taken up by the little CompactFlash and SD card readers!

When trying to reposition chapter icons/thumbnails as well as text boxes, it takes forever for them to respond to a click and drag or an up/down/right/left arrow key. Here's some more detail. My format is 16:9. I create chapters in the normal way. I get 4 chapters per menu. I create 13 chapters. What is created is 4 submenus: 4 chapters, 4 chapters, 4 chapters and 1 chapter for a total of 13. I want them all on the same menu. I want the top menu to have the title of the production and one submenu with the 13 chapters. Two menus in all. So in the Project View, I click and drag the chapters up to the first chapter menu which is the first menu under the top menu. Now when I go to that menu, I have a mess - a bunch of chapter icons/thumbnails that are on top of each other across the middle of the screen. I have to click and drag the chapter icons/thumbnails around to create two rows of 5 and one row of 3 chapters. That's where the problem comes in. When I click and drag an icon/thumbnail, it doesn't move - for about 10 seconds. Then it jumps over there. It takes forever. Meanwhile, the cursor disappears. If I bring up the Windows Task Manager and click and drag it around and around the whole screen really fast, it leaves a white trail behind it that paints the whole screen white for a few seconds. Then the MyDVD9 screen reappears. During these long waits after a click and drag, a North/South/East/West four-arrow symbol/cursor appears. Then it dissapears. Is the problem with my PC/video card or something or is there a bug with the 16:9 option?

I certainly agree that the difference is significant. But it seems to me that the software rendering is faster than hardware. During the encoding preview, with hardware, the motion is less than normal speed but with software, the motion is faster than normal. Haven't actually timed it, but I think software is faster.

Elton: Thanks for your question and James, thanks for your reply. You are a genius!! I was having the same problem and switching to software rendering fixed it. The perplexing thing was, I DID have some DVDs with excellent quality and some without. In trying to fix some of the buggyness of the software, I think I changed to hardware thinking that would solve the bugs. Looks like that was a bad choice and as I backtrack what I've done, the DVDs with good quality were created before I changed from hardware to software and since then, they've all been bad. But I change back to software and now things are great. James, thanks for your help! ricargo